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America in the Middle East
Category:International_affairs =Discussion Questions= (post your thoughts, or post your own questions! post comments on this format idea on the Discussion page) 1. What is your one-sentence view on how America is perceived in the Middle East? * Deliberately sponsors dictatorships in the ME to future its own economical/political interest with no regard to the people living there. *Two-faced: One country in the ME is allowed to regularly flaunt international law while the rest (and especially those it doesn't like), are threatened and attacked. * An self-isolated people, oblivious to their money led leaders who tear the world apart to claim every last drop. * One word is enough - hypocritical. 2. What articles have you read lately that thoughtfully explore this issue? *Here is an interesting article about what the United States really hoped to accomplish in Iraq and the Middle East in general. Are these acceptable justifications for our involvement in the Middle East? **A strategic review of the war on Islamic fascism *This is an insteresting article that highlights some of the hidden reasons behind the USA involvment in the Middle East what they hope to achieve. **Petrodollar Warfare: Dollars, Euros and the Upcoming Iranian Oil Bourse 3. What books would you recommend to people interested in this topic? :*''The Mighty and the Almighty, by Madeleine Albright :*The Fateful Triangle, by Noam Chomsky :*Terror in the Mind of God, by Mark Juergensmeyer :* ''The Great War for Civilisation : The Conquest of the Middle East, by Robert Fisk :*''From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine, by Joan Peters '''4. Which leaders' views and perspectives on America's relationship with the Middle East are you most inspired by?' =Perspectives= (Share your feedback about this section's format/content on the discussion page!) As a way of starting a deeper conversation around America in the Middle East, please post your "Perspective" below. This will give us a clear structure for looking at all the diverse and interesting perspectives we all hold. Each Perspective should be formatted as follows: "I am _______, and I believe _______." EXAMPLE: "I am a student, and I believe we should cut all our ties." EXAMPLE: "I am a businessman, and I believe that if we focus on economic benefits, peace will come." EXAMPLE: "I am a teacher, and I think we need to increase (not limit) the exchanges of students with Middle Eastern countries." I am an alchemist, and I am very disappointed in the reduced supplies of the elementum philosophic. Now how am I supposed to purify all this phlogiston? Let's keep this civil, thoughtful and friendly... and have fun! What's YOUR perspective? Remember to "sign" your comment with four tildes * I am a Christian and I think that current geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran extend beyond the publicly stated concerns regarding Iran's nuclear intentions, and likely include a proposed Iranian "petroeuro" system for oil trade. Similar to the Iraq war, military operations against Iraq/Iran relate to the macroeconomics of 'petrodollar recycling' and the unpublicized but real challenge to U.S. dollar supremacy from the euro as an alternative oil transaction currency. ~ John Smith * I am a veteran and a Christian, I feel the whole revenge thing is out of control. We are "one nation under GOD", and on every dollar bill is written "IN GOD WE TRUST". If we trusted GOD, then we should listen to his words. It is written that we are to forgive, and he will have his revenge. I feel that it is a mockery for us to be playing GOD. We are our own worst enemy, all we are doing is provoking them and giving them the power and attention they are looking for, making them stronger. There is no winning the war on terrorism. ~ Daniel Cowen :: * I am a human, and I believe killing other humans to prove a point is counter-productive to the advancement of our species, believing another human is less than you or deserves to die because of what they believe is also harmful to society as a whole, and while we spend more and more trying to figure out ways to stop evil doers from hurting us, we continue to find new ways to hurt them. In the end we all die the same so why fight against one another when we can build togther, there is sure to be another way to discuss our differences? Scott Hoenes :: * I am a student, and I think that while maybe the Iraq War wasn't the best idea, and theoretically, it was a potential that some of the 22 or so reasons that America invaded Iraq could have been solved diplomatically, now that we are in the war, we need to finish at the pace the current Iraqi military can handle in order to avoid disasterous consequences. I am an optimist and I think things will turn out okay as long as we stick to it, peace will prevail. a student :: * I am a Christian, and I believe every religious justification for atrocity is a weakly disguised political rationale. The differences between today, the Holocaust, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition are the ways that communication forms have been manipulated. I am also an optimist, and I believe that Muslims and Christians are brothers. :: * I'm a military member and a civil servant. I believe that war is unfortunate, and sometimes unavoidable. I believe that the war on terror/war in Iraq are necessary steps to prevent future attacks on our home soil. I believe that most media outlets have an agenda that leads most Americans away from the truth. It breaks my heart to see that so many Americans forget about the attacks on 9/11 so quickly. I hope that someday soon, there will be more peace than war. As long as there are people on the earth who want to kill innocents (such as every American's family), America has a duty to confront these individuals. :: * I am an Iraq war veteran, and I believe that the world has evil in it that most people in first world countries don't appreciate because they're so insulated by their comfortable lives. Optimism is nice, but wishing evil away doesn't work and ignoring it jeopradizes the future. Europe placated Hitler and then suffered. The threat from islamic fascism doesn't seem to equate to Hitler's menace in today's public discourse and I believe that contributes to the optimism in diplomacy as a solution. However, when we lose our first city to a WMD attack by islamic terrorists (or Iran) we won't be able to negotiate it back to life. The evil of islamic fascism would have led to the attack even if we did nothing after 9/11. Evil, warped islamic fascists want to destroy the US simply for being mostly Christian. :: * I am a veteran of an earlier (and more successful) non-conventional war and I know that you cannot win. I fought the war in Namibia (mostly in Angola) and the first thing they taught me during my training as an intelligence officer was that we WILL loose - the military option exist only to buy time to win the hearts and minds of the people. Does the average American soldier or even officer understand this basic truth and any of its implications? (I doubt Rumsfeld does, though I promise you his generals do) The only non-conventional war that was ever won on military terms was in Chile where Augusto Pinochet simply wiped the insurgents and all their supporters from the face of the earth. Yes, I know Evil, and that's Evil. Evil is forcing millions of people into poverty for generations for selfish gains - evil is NOT signing up for a sure death under a M1 Tank out of shame for your country. The answer does not lie in military conquest or diplomacy with corrupt leaders - it lies in the hearts of the Arab people. No-one wants this war, but an arrogant "bring it on" attitude is insulting to every man in the street in Baghdad fostering at least passive support for the insurgency. The US should stay and clean up the mess they started, but they should do so as a piece-keeping force 100% under Arab control. That's the only way to let the Arabs save face. :: * I am a college student, and I believe that, while the murder of a fellow human is implicitly wrong, there come times in which war is unavoidable. I fear the time for peace in the Middle East has long passed due to the complacency of the American public, the near malevolence of the United States government in regard to developing nations, and the willingness of Middle Easterners to tolerate the power-grabs of religious fundamentalists. The result is the coalescence of a multitude of forces that are driving the world into a war on a much larger scale than the recent actions of the US in the Middle East. I would of course prefer a peaceful solution, but America has historically shown a predilection for war before compromise, and a similar sentiment has arisen in the modern Middle East. :: * I am a European and I believe you should not act as if the world belonged to you. You (Americans) *made* the Middle East as it is: A land of opportunity for a few, a living Hell for others. How can you just let Tsahal keep destroying the Palestinian infrastructures? How come they do what they want and they hold WMD without anybody to criticize it? Just stay in your "Land of the free" and stop judging others: You are the ones that need a better future, the others could do quite decently, and better, without you. Admit for once that you're not there to free people or to protect your species. You are there in order to dig your way to oil and gas fields. Take a look to any map and you'll see how obvious it is: All the threatened or invaded countries are adjacent.80.219.250.30 04:46, 7 July 2006 (UTC) :: * I am a European and I believe that the USA war in Iraq create more terrorist that they have killed, I remind you that Iraq was a Laic country (without state religion) without WMD, and without contact with Terrorists, it was just a dictatorship like there are plenty worldwide. By the way why in 1991 we did not organize free election in Kuwait? Why give the country back to a ruling familly? ha yes... this religious state undemocratic was our friend. :: * I am a Uni Student and I agree with many of the comments made here. America was inherently wrong for entering the Middle East (this time) under a false pretense. If you look at USA's historic involvement in the Middle East it has always ended with or propagated Katastrophe. No matter what the USA does to try and control the area it has always exploded in their faces. GET THE HINT: The Middle Eastern people do not want to be subjugated to your gluttonous ways of life. In a more modern context, I do believe that economic factors (oil) were the driving force in the Government's decision to invade Iraq, but it was more personal for G.W. Bush. Saddam tried to assasinate his father. I also agree with the comment above mine, America has made things worse for itself. On countless occasions the USA has put fascist dictators into power who have promised to deliver benefits, and it has ALWAYS failed.